Monday, June 26, 2017

You may have studied the periodic table of elements in school and may have had to memorize some of them. The periodic table lists chemical elements like helium, titanium and gold. New elements are added to the table as they are discovered by science. However, in the pages of Captain Marvel Adventures #100 (published July 1, 1949*) we find that the periodic table of elements gets updated by Captain Marvel! No, it's not scientists that update the periodic table, it is the World's Mightiest Mortal who has just created the world's mightiest element - Marvelium!In fact, a total of three new elements are discovered or created. They are Sivanium, Shazamium, and Marvelium.Sivanium is the first new element. It was created by Doctor Sivana, which he named in honor of himself! Sivanium is living metal which can be "fashioned into human shape, duplicating every organ." Sivana uses it to build an army of duplicate Sivanas!

Shazamium is the second element. This element is still shrouded in mystery and all we know about it is from the wizard Shazam. He explains that it is an element unknown to earthly science! With his bracelet made of Shazamium, the wizened wizard is able to adopt ethereal form and go back and forth from earth to the Rock of Eternity! Not much else is known of this mysterious element, I presume it was created by Shazam himself!

Marvelium is the final new element added to the periodic table. Marvelium was created by Captain Marvel himself and he uses it in this comic to foil the plot of Sivana. Captain Marvel creates Marvelium in a lab using a cyclotron, the wisdom of Solomon, an atomic pile, and a mechanical brain machine. In just a matter of moments, the World's Mightiest Mortal has created the world's mightiest element that can only be molded and shaped by him!

Not only does Captain Marvel create a new element, he even takes the time to update the periodic table of elements! (I think it's pretty funny that he almost says "Shazam" when writing down Shazamium. He catches himself and keeps from accidentally transforming back into Billy Batson!!)

Let me make a historical note concerning the periodic table that Captain Marvel has updated. Cap makes Sivanium, Shazamium, and Marvelium numbers 97, 98 and 99 respectively on the periodic table. Number 96 on the table, Curium, was discovered in July of 1944 at the University of California, Berkeley but was not made known to the public until November of 1945. That's why Captain Marvel could assign the three new elements with the numbers 97 through 99. It also must be noted that scientists created other elements in the 1940s (plutonium for example) using cyclotrons - just as Cap used a cyclotron to create Marvelium! This gives me a greater appreciation for this comic and the obvious research done to bring some realism and current events to this whimsical adventure!So now when one of your kids or family members need to study about the periodic table of elements, you can let them know about the three new elements introduced to us here in Captain Marvel Adventures #100!!*According to Mike's Amazing World of Comics

Monday, June 19, 2017

Grit is another aspect and trait of Captain Marvel's character that draws me to him as a hero. In this article I want to illustrate the grit of Captain Marvel.What is grit? Here are some brief thoughts and definitions that will help frame grit for this article:

Firmness of mind or spirit: unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger (Merriam-Webster)

Firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck

"Grit is passion or perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina." Angela Lee Duckworth

"Individuals high in grit are able to maintain their determination and motivation over long periods of time despite experiences with failure and adversity. Their passion and commitment towards the long-term objective is the overriding factor that provides the stamina required to 'stay the course' amid the challenges and set-backs." (Unknown)

Just reading those definitions and quotes make me think that Captain Marvel is truly grit personified! An example of Captain Marvel's grit is displayed on the pages of Captain Marvel Adventures #78. Captain Marvel comes up against Mr. Atom who turns out to be one of his toughest foes to fight and defeat. Captain Marvel not only has to stop the rampaging robot, he also needs to come up with a clever way to incarcerate this atomic ne'er do well! Cap suffers a short-term set back in his first encounter with Mr. Atom, but his grit allows him to put that aside and come up with a plan to defeat Mr. Atom. And, by the end of the story, Captain Marvel prevails thanks to his indomitable grit.

Captain Marvel's grit is clearly seen through his actions in defeating Mr. Atom. While there are many other examples throughout the pages of Cap's comics, this one stands out to me as the best example. Captain Marvel is a hero who exemplifies grit, and that's just one more reason he's been my hero and a hero to countless others!

Monday, June 12, 2017

Did you know that the villains IBAC and Mr. Banjo made their first appearance in the same comic?

In Captain Marvel Adventures #8 (published February 6, 1942*) we are introduced to IBAC in the story "Captain Marvel and the Curse of IBAC!" In this story we learn how a criminal named Stinky Printwhistle becomes the super-villain IBAC and is ultimately defeated by Captain Marvel.

The very next story in the comic is "Captain Marvel and the Amazing Case of the Code in Music!" This adventure introduces us to Mr. Banjo, a "master criminal, an ingenious plotter of crimes" who uses his banjo as a weapon of sabotage against the war efforts of the United States. Captain Marvel beats Banjo, thus defeating this malevolent maestro!

Both IBAC and Mr. Banjo made their first appearance in Captain Marvel Adventures #8 in different stories. They both appeared throughout Cap's golden-age comics and have even shown up in some present day ones as well!